Spike Lee chose Bedford-Stuyvesant as the setting of his film largely because he knew the area very well. Although he was not born in Bedford-Stuyvesant, he grew up there for many years and became very familiar with the area and its people. Various celebrities including Spike Lee himself came out of Bedford-Stuyvesant which adds value to the area as a place of growth. The large percentage of African-Americans in thearea allows Bedford-Stuyvesant to represent a black community. Being a black community however, conflict can easily come about for the reason of ethnicity, which is another reason Spike Lee chose Bedford-Stuyvesant as the setting of his film. "Do the Right Thing" is focused on just one street but the importance of the setting is outlined by the way people live, act, socialize, and most of all, by the lack of variety in ethnicity. Spike Lee did not create the film to be a reflection of Bedford-Stuyvesant, but the influence the setting had on the film is apparent nevertheless.
Physical Geography
Climate
Bedford-Stuyvesant is located in Brooklyn, a borough of New York, New York.
The temperature of Bedford-Stuyvesant, is typical of a city in the northeastern United States. The graph above shows the average highs and the lows in Brooklyn, which give a good idea of how the temperatures are in the fall and spring are mild, while the temperatures in the summer and winter neither extreme nor mild. The rainfall in this region averages around 4 inches per month throughut the entire year.
Bedford-Stuyvesant is in Brooklyn, a borough of New York. This means that it is in one of the most urbanized parts of the world, and for this reason, there is very little vegetation surrounding the area. The vegetation that does exist is mostly of lawns and trees planted by the government.
Bedford-Stuyvesant serves as a housing area and is therefore filled with housing complexes. There are no famous landmarks other than the homes that celebrities formerly lived in.
The median income per household in Bedford-Stuyvesant is $25,504. This is significantly lower than the median of New York ($38,293) in general and much lower than the national median ($44,512).
The main language of Bedford-Stuyvesant is American-English. The large majority of the population is African-American which is the reason for this. Slang is used widely throughout this area as well.
Politics
Being a part of the United States of America, the government is a constitutional republic in which representatives are selected for each state and decisions are voted for by those representatives. The United States has a bicameral legislature made up by the senate and the house of representatives, a president with people working under him, and a judicial system in place to make decisions regarding the constitutionality of laws and to keep order. In the United States, there are various ways to vote including by mail, but going in person is possible as well.
The 2006 Census states that 72% of Bedford-Stuyvesant is African-American. Since the 1980s, the number of Latinos, Asians, and Whites has increased dramatically. The population is 17,910. As seen by the diagram above, the age distribution of Bedford-Stuyvesant is uniform in that the percentage of people a certain age decreases as the age increases. A negative correlation between age and percentage is seen.
Works Cited
"Demographics and Do the Right Thing: A Look at Bedford Stuyvesant." //Social Explorer// . N.p., n.d.
Web. 10 Sept. 2009. <http://www.socialexplorer.com/pub/blog/?p=73>.
"Do the Right Thing" and Bedford-Stuyvesant
Clip from the film
Spike Lee chose Bedford-Stuyvesant as the setting of his film largely because he knew the area very well. Although he was not born in Bedford-Stuyvesant, he grew up there for many years and became very familiar with the area and its people. Various celebrities including Spike Lee himself came out of Bedford-Stuyvesant which adds value to the area as a place of growth. The large percentage of African-Americans in thearea allows Bedford-Stuyvesant to represent a black community. Being a black community however, conflict can easily come about for the reason of ethnicity, which is another reason Spike Lee chose Bedford-Stuyvesant as the setting of his film. "Do the Right Thing" is focused on just one street but the importance of the setting is outlined by the way people live, act, socialize, and most of all, by the lack of variety in ethnicity. Spike Lee did not create the film to be a reflection of Bedford-Stuyvesant, but the influence the setting had on the film is apparent nevertheless.
Physical Geography
Climate
Bedford-Stuyvesant is located in Brooklyn, a borough of New York, New York.The temperature of Bedford-Stuyvesant, is typical of a city in the northeastern United States. The graph above shows the average highs and the lows in Brooklyn, which give a good idea of how the temperatures are in the fall and spring are mild, while the temperatures in the summer and winter neither extreme nor mild. The rainfall in this region averages around 4 inches per month throughut the entire year.
http://www.whataboutclients.com/archives/19mlk_600.jpg
Surrounding Area
The area surrounding Bedford-Stuyvesant is complete urbanized. New York City is low in elevation and is very close to the Atlantic Ocean.
http://photos.igougo.com/images/p344290-Bahamas-Atlantic_Ocean.jpg
Vegetation
Bedford-Stuyvesant is in Brooklyn, a borough of New York. This means that it is in one of the most urbanized parts of the world, and for this reason, there is very little vegetation surrounding the area. The vegetation that does exist is mostly of lawns and trees planted by the government.
http://www.nysun.com/pics/4791.jpg
Human Geography
Man Made Structures
Bedford-Stuyvesant serves as a housing area and is therefore filled with housing complexes. There are no famous landmarks other than the homes that celebrities formerly lived in.
http://newyorkbirds.free.fr/brooklyn/bedford%20stuyvesant/hart%20str%20-%20marcus%20garvey%20bld%20-%20Dct%20Sandy%20F%20Ray%20Bld.jpg
Economy/Language
The median income per household in Bedford-Stuyvesant is $25,504. This is significantly lower than the median of New York ($38,293) in general and much lower than the national median ($44,512).The main language of Bedford-Stuyvesant is American-English. The large majority of the population is African-American which is the reason for this. Slang is used widely throughout this area as well.
Politics
Being a part of the United States of America, the government is a constitutional republic in which representatives are selected for each state and decisions are voted for by those representatives. The United States has a bicameral legislature made up by the senate and the house of representatives, a president with people working under him, and a judicial system in place to make decisions regarding the constitutionality of laws and to keep order. In the United States, there are various ways to vote including by mail, but going in person is possible as well.
http://www.travelgrove.com/travel-guides/images/countries/small/United-States.jpg
Demographics
The 2006 Census states that 72% of Bedford-Stuyvesant is African-American. Since the 1980s, the number of Latinos, Asians, and Whites has increased dramatically. The population is 17,910. As seen by the diagram above, the age distribution of Bedford-Stuyvesant is uniform in that the percentage of people a certain age decreases as the age increases. A negative correlation between age and percentage is seen.
Works Cited
"Average Weather for Brooklyn, NY." //TheWeatherChannel//. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2009. <http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/11203?locid=11203>."Bedford Stuyvesant Demographics." //Zillow//. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2009. <http://www.zillow.com/ local-info/NY-New-York/Bedford-Stuyvesant-people/r_272902/>."Demographics and Do the Right Thing: A Look at Bedford Stuyvesant." //Social Explorer// . N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2009. <http://www.socialexplorer.com/pub/blog/?p=73>.